Soccer Match for a Good Cause

It’s not every day that a college team gets to play a country’s national team, but the Harvard men’s soccer squad will have a chance to play against a competitive international opponent while supporting a great cause.

The Haiti national soccer team, ranked 99th in the world out of 202 FIFA teams, is traveling on a five-day tour through the Northeast to help raise money for relief efforts in the country. Harvard and Haiti are working with Partners in Health to help Haiti rebuild after the devastating 7.0 M earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. Though new crises have struck the world, the Caribbean nation is still in a reconstruction phase one year later.

The earthquake had lasting effects for the squad; during 2010, the Haitians lost 30 people close to the soccer team. Even so, the Haitian team looks to build its soccer program back to its glory almost 40 years ago, qualifying for the World Cup in 1974.

The Crimson (5-7-5, 2-3-2 Ivy) finished the season under .500, but the game will be a good exhibition for the returning players before season play picks up next fall.

The match will take place on April 10 at 5 p.m. at Harvard Stadium. It is part of a series of games against the Ivy League, as the national team will have played Dartmouth on Friday. Tickets will be $10 for the general public and free to undergraduates, but donations will be accepted. All should attend to watch high-caliber soccer while supporting the Haitians and their recuperation efforts. For those who cannot make it, there will be live video stream online.

See the YouTube video for a preview of the match. It's interesting to note that graduated Crimson forward Andre Akpan '10 is featured on the game's poster—hopefully, the Haiti national team's game plan does not involve having to account for the Colorado Rapids forward's prolific scoring.